Kat with a K

We have a new president.

Amazing.

Happy Inauguration Day!

(Remember this? Wow.)

I can't believe it's actually happening. I couldn't sleep last night - like Christmas Eve. I'm trying to think of something actually meaningful to say, but I can't come up with the words. Maybe later after it actually happens and sinks in.

I have a carefully-constructed plan to watch the ceremony in one of the conference rooms at work. It required lots of jumping through hoops and getting permission from practically everyone in the company, it seemed like. I hope it works. Wish me luck. (And of course I'm TiVoing eight hours of C-SPAN just in case.)

Yes, Pecan!

In honor of the inauguration, Ben & Jerry's brings us a limited edition flavor in scoop shops: Yes, Pecan! Anyone try it yet? How is it?

And I wonder if they were aware of all this when they named the flavor?

Happy New Year!

Happy 2009, everyone! Here's my New Year's resolution for you: I'm going to start blogging regularly again. At least once a week. I promise. I hope it will be more than once a week, but I figure if I commit to something doable, I'll be able to actually follow through. I have a few reading and crafting resolutions, too:

Reading
1. Devote more time to reading. I always read at least a few pages before bed, but when I get stressed and busy it's too easy to let any more dedicated reading time just slip. I hate that.
2. Keep a list of the books I read, and review them all here. I did pretty well with this for most of 2008, but lost it toward the end.
3. Read fewer books at once. I think this will help me stay focused and finish more books. I am intrinsically incapable of only reading one book at a time, so I'm going to try for two - a main/serious book and a light book (like a romance novel or cozy mystery) for when I don't have the brainpower for the main book.
4. Read more books I own. I have several bookcases filled with mostly books that I haven't read. I want to go through and read them and decide what I want to keep to reread.
5. Read at least a few books I've been meaning to read for years. I'm not going to make a list in advance, but I have some ideas.

Crafting
1. Keep a list of everything I knit and crochet, and post pictures here and on Ravelry. Again, I've done okay with this in the past, but I want the list to be comprehensive this year.
2. Finish two projects before buying yarn for and/or starting a new project. I want to decrease my numbers of WIPs, but I know I'll never stick to a stricter rule, so this seems like a good compromise. Exceptions: I can buy more yarn for an already-started project if necessary. If there are several pieces of one gift (like a dishcloth set I'm making now), I can start the next piece of the set after finishing one piece. And if there's an emergency situation - like a sudden baby shower or something - I can start something new but then I have to finish three things the next time.

I'd also like to start writing some movie and TV reviews here, and posting about cooking more. But no specific resolutions there, I don't think.

Happy Birthday J!

A really cool kid I know is turning 10 today. TEN! Double digits. Wow. I've known his mom online since he was about three or four, so this seems crazy. Happy birthday, J!

A big day...

My baby brother is starting college today. My parents are moving him in to Colby right now. I can't believe it. Isn't he still twelve? What's going on? But I'm so proud of him.

But man, I feel old. This means that ten years ago this week, I was at my own college orientation. Ten years? Seriously? Impossible. And that means that as of September 1, in just a few days, I will have known my best friend for ten years - we met in my very first college class. Wow.

Free Slurpee Day!

It's 7/11 today, which means... Free Slurpee Day! Yay!

Happy Free Cone Day!

Don't forget to head to Ben & Jerry's for your free cone today!

On TV with Obama!

I'm in this video from Reuters. Toward the end (around the one minute mark), when it's showing Obama in the crowd, I'm one of the people he shakes hands with. I have brown hair and am wearing a dark pink jacket... it might be hard to pick out for those of you who haven't met me in person, but I'm there!

Happy Primary Eve!

Wheee, it's Primary Eve! I've seen six candidates since Friday, with another planned this afternoon. (I'll post about them later in the day, when I can upload photos.) I've felt like it was 3am since about 8:30 last night, which is a really, really weird feeling. I think I'm going to take tomorrow off to go hold signs at my polling place, catch up on some sleep, and watch the news.

It's so exciting around here. I've been trying to convince my coworkers to vote. The polls are looking interesting. I'll post anything interesting I see/read during the day.

Happy 2008!

Happy New Year, everyone!

New camera!

My wonderful parents gave me a new digital camera for Christmas! It's a Nikon Coolpix L11, and it's exactly what I wanted - small and light enough to carry without really noticing the extra weight in my purse, better photo quality than my old camera, and enough options to do what I want without so many that it's overwhelming/confusing. Here's the very first picture I took with the new camera, of my dad lacing up his new Christmas boots:

My favorite holiday commercial...

So proud.

My extremely clever, accomplished baby brother called me last night to tell me that he had gotten into his first choice of colleges. I'm so proud. Congratulations, Dave!

(And I think it is a sign of immense personal growth that I managed not to immediately add something in Colby colors to the Christmas knitting list, don't you?)

I like him better now that he's retired.

Michael Schumacher takes the wheel of his cab when he's late for the airport. Hee.

It's snowing!!!!

It was a nailbiter: NHPR and the iGoogle weather widget were predicting snow, but Weather.com insisted it would just rain. But lo and behold, it started to snow as I was getting ready for work. It's supposed to turn to rain soon, but for now, it's coming down steadily and even sticking, so I'm thrilled. It's definitely starting to feel like a holiday week now!

Snow watch!

We're supposed to get some snow showers mixed in with our rain today, which means that I'll be jumping up to look out the office window every few minutes so I don't miss it. And I brought my camera in to work to document the event. Don't worry; I'll keep you updated. :)

Update: Never mind. We're well past the time for which snow was predicted, and we didn't get any.

Snow alert!

No, not here. But Courtney over at Zuzu's Perch posted these pictures of her yard yesterday, and that, combined with the fact that it has been snowing elsewhere in my state, is good enough for me. I started reading a Christmas-themed book last night.

UPDATE: My dad just texted me (wait - my dad texted me. That is not something I ever really expected to happen) to tell me that they had snow at their house this morning. As they are south of me, I do not think this is fair. But it totally means that it's time for Christmas stuff.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm 25 today, and I actually do feel older. Odd. It's been sort of a weird birthday - I celebrated with my parents a few weeks ago, and with some friends last weekend, but the day itself has been quiet. Some coworkers took me out for ice cream. On the way home, I got a stack of library books and my favorite pizza, and I'm spending the evening reading, knitting, and maybe watching a movie later. Quiet, but nice.

Pretty much the best day ever.

My bedroom looks very different this morning than it did yesterday morning. My parents came to visit yesterday, and look what they brought me!

Yes, an air conditioner! Yay! My birthday is in a few weeks, so this is my early birthday present from them. My dad even installed it for me.

And as if that weren't enough, look what else came from CT with them:

A dresser! This is part of the bedroom set that my mom used from childhood until a few years ago, and I've always loved this dresser, so when my parents got new bedroom furniture a few years ago, I begged for it. I am so excited at the prospect of actually putting my clothes in drawers, I can't even tell you.

New Computer!

I am writing this from my new computer!! Yay!!! I am so excited. I found it at Office Depot yesterday. For the curious, it's an HP Pavilion dv9334us. The 17" screen seems huge, and it's great to watch things on. The specs are even better than I'd necessarily planned, but it was on sale and therefore within my price range. Very exciting!

Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a few days more for pictures, because the CompactFlash Card adapter I've been using is a PC card, and the new computer doesn't have that slot. I should be getting a new adapter on Friday, though - a friend has a spare he'll be giving me. I have some cute pictures to show you. (Hint: the new computer came with a present for Dewey, too - a box!)

Monday Night Happy Things

1. Meet Mr. Coffee.

I know, I know, the name is totally unimaginative. But it was so perfect that I couldn't bear to change it. Besides, he feels like he is somehow in the same tradition as the great Mr. Washie, and I can't take that point of pride away from him. Defulct used to make us coffee most mornings, but he's been gone for a few months now, and it was time to deal with my coffeelessness. I was debating whether to spent the extra $10 for the programmable version - yeah, it sounded nifty, but did I really need that? - when I realized that only the programmable ones had auto shut off. Without auto shut off, I spend all day convinced that the house is burning down. (Not that I've ever actually forgotten to turn off the coffee pot. I just worry.) That peace of mind was totally worth the $10.

And you know what? Like Teddy TiVo and Aurelia iPod before him, Mr. Coffee with all his programmability is one of those things that I wasn't entirely convinced I needed - but the instant I used him I started wondering how I lived without him for so long. I cannot express my joy at finding coffee waiting for me when I got up this morning. So darn cool. (You know what else he did? He cleverly came with a bunch of filters, because he knew that I wouldn't remember to buy any.)

Pictured with Mr. Coffee is his friend the orange cat mug, which Erica brought me yesterday. They make quite a nice pair.

2. My scarf is also making me happy:

It's a little over half done now. I'm still adoring it. And still only knitting one thing. Yeah, I'm shocked too.

3. I've been convinced to leave my heat at 55. It's practically balmy in here.

4. I just signed up for Internet access on my cell phone. As with Mr. Coffee and Teddy TiVo and all my other anthropomorphized gadgets mentioned above, I fully expect that by, oh, Wednesday night at the latest, I'll be incapable of imagining life without it. (The phone's name is Pluto, for those playing along at home.)

5. I'm not going to Rhinebeck (this isn't the happy thing), but I am going to Hershey this coming weekend. I hear they have chocolate. Can't be bad.

6. Hey, remember that magazine I promised I was starting? Well! We're not officially launching until November 1, but we have the beginnings of a site! Very happy.

Freedom!

Thanks for all the presentation good wishes! It's done! I think it went well. It sparked some discussion, and the professor and a few classmates complimented me afterward.

And this means my work for the semester is done! I have to go to class Monday night, but don't have to do any prep work or anything. Yay!

Monday is for Happy Things

* I'm actually in a shockingly good mood this morning.

* The paper is coming along! It's actually almost done! Where it is: Part 1: 10% (but more of it written in my head; this is the 4-page introduction), Part 2: 100%, Part 3: 85%, Part 4: 99%, Part 5: 75%. Yay. I'm hoping to get all those numbers to 100% tonight. Then I just have to make a few PowerPoint slides tomorrow night and I'm set.

* I'm not sick of my topic. I'm planning to read more about it after I finish the paper, even. (The assignment focuses on locating sources, rather than actually reading them all.)

* I got a lot of knitting done over the weekend, too. The Mason-Dixon kimono is almost done, and I think it will be cute, even though my roommate called it "very Picasso" at one point and asked if it was for an alien baby.

* I actually got to bed at a reasonable hour last night, and therefore managed to get up at a reasonable hour, and had dropped off my car with the car people and was at my desk by eight.

* To discover that the application we do all our work in is down. Nice relaxing way to start a Monday. So I just reordered my Netflix queue, and I've been catching up with e-mail and Bloglines.

* There's a bit of a break in the heat. It's still hot, but not unbearably so; there's a nice breeze and it's cooling off at night. Hallelujah. Yesterday I was inside working on the paper all day and I didn't even have to turn on a fan. Of course, this means I've convinced myself that it's "almost fall." Shush. Let me enjoy my delusion.

* Cherry chocolate chip ice cream. I don't normally like cherry-flavored stuff much, but this stuff is YUM. No, I haven't tried Cherry Garcia yet. Yes, I'm planning to.

* My birthday is a week from today!!!

Monday is for Happy Things

* I'm actually in a shockingly good mood this morning.

* The paper is coming along! It's actually almost done! Where it is: Part 1: 10% (but more of it written in my head; this is the 4-page introduction), Part 2: 100%, Part 3: 85%, Part 4: 99%, Part 5: 75%. Yay. I'm hoping to get all those numbers to 100% tonight. Then I just have to make a few PowerPoint slides tomorrow night and I'm set.

* I'm not sick of my topic. I'm planning to read more about it after I finish the paper, even. (The assignment focuses on locating sources, rather than actually reading them all.)

* I got a lot of knitting done over the weekend, too. The Mason-Dixon kimono is almost done, and I think it will be cute, even though my roommate called it "very Picasso" at one point and asked if it was for an alien baby.

* I actually got to bed at a reasonable hour last night, and therefore managed to get up at a reasonable hour, and had dropped off my car with the car people and was at my desk by eight.

* To discover that the application we do all our work in is down. Nice relaxing way to start a Monday. So I just reordered my Netflix queue, and I've been catching up with e-mail and Bloglines.

* There's a bit of a break in the heat. It's still hot, but not unbearably so; there's a nice breeze and it's cooling off at night. Hallelujah. Yesterday I was inside working on the paper all day and I didn't even have to turn on a fan. Of course, this means I've convinced myself that it's "almost fall." Shush. Let me enjoy my delusion.

* Cherry chocolate chip ice cream. I don't normally like cherry-flavored stuff much, but this stuff is YUM. No, I haven't tried Cherry Garcia yet. Yes, I'm planning to.

* My birthday is a week from today!!!

Positive? I'll try...

Today has not been a great day. But there must be something.

* Had a great time in Noho yesterday with Cate and family, and then with library buddies.

* Taking tomorrow afternoon off to go to the MFA with my cousin.

* Class tonight, which at least means air conditioning.

* New knitting projects going well, when I have time to work on them.

* My car is not as broken as I'd feared. I don't think.

And that's... all I've got. Good thoughts about the car and the term paper and the transition to living alone would all be much appreciated. Oh, and maybe that whole sleeping thing. I'd like to try that again sometime.

Monday = Happy Things

Ummm... ummm... positives.... right, there must be something...

1. I have a paper due Wednesday. I basically wrote the whole thing yesterday morning. I'm sort of amazed at myself.

2. Like my happy little graduation ticker (above)? There's a light at the end of the tunnel!

3. We're having cake at work this afternoon.

4. Field trip for class tonight! We're going to the Bapst Art Library.

5. And sticking with the art theme, I have not one but two trips to the MFA planned for the next few weeks. Yay art!

Holiday-esque Monday Positivity

I think it's Monday, although it also sort of feels like Friday, since I have tomorrow off. So it's time for positives!

Things that are making me happy today:

1. My readers. Thank you all for dealing so gracefully with my freak-out over the weekend. I love you guys!

2. My boss, or, rather, his absence. I mean, he's okay, but it's always sort of fun when he's in Oklahoma.

3. My coworkers, or, again, their absence. We have tomorrow off, so about half the company is also out today. It's so nice and quiet around here.

4. Knitting. Yes, it's making me happy again! Finishing the socks was exciting, and the baby blanket is going very quickly.

5. Paneer masala. I have some leftovers for lunch today. Yum.

6. No class tonight! I like class, but a night off is always nice.

Quick Monday Positives

Yay for...

* The new Interweave Knits!

* Being almost done with my semester!

* TiVo!

* The goofy Formula 1 announcers!

* Dr. Who!

* Gorgeous spring weather!

Monday Happy Things

* Birch. Getting close to done.
* A Cold Stone opened near me!
* I feel like I actually had a fairly relaxing weekend for once.
* And I'm making progress on my final paper for the semester.
* TaB. Yum.
* I finally saw an episode of The Amazing Race. So cool!

I feel like I'm being a bad blogger recently. It seems to be going around. Not that I'm accusing others of being bad - I mean that others have said that they are feeling blog ennui. Spring fever? I don't know. Hmm. Anyway, I'm not going to stress about it too much. I'm not going anywhere. I just don't have tons to say at the moment.

Wheee positive Monday!

I'm posting this from home at 4:22 on a beautiful Monday afternoon, so it's pretty positive right there. Despite having not much luck with the whole sleeping deal last night, there are all sorts of good things going on around here:

1. As mentioned, I'm home. This is because my department is being moved to a different building, so they sent us home at 3:45 so they could move our stuff.

1a. This move also means that I'll have a fresh new cubicle to start with tomorrow morning, so I can delude myself into thinking I'll be able to keep it all neat and uncluttered. It probably won't last, but a fresh start is always nice.

1b. This also means that we'll be closer to useful things like the cafeteria and the mail room. Wheee.

2. I'm watching the Colbert Report, because... I got a TiVo yesterday! I love it already. Such a cool toy. I think his name is Edmund.

3. Also, I'm eating Italian ice. Yum.

Monday, Monday

I'm having sort of a blah, sleepy Monday, but there are some more or less positive things going on...

1. My boss is out. Not that I'm happy he's sick or anything, but it certainly makes it easier to ease back into the work week.

2. Birch. I pulled it back out this weekend and it's moving right along. I've memorized the pattern by now, so it's fun and not-quite-mindless.

3. Um, something else? I swear I had a bunch of things I was going to mention. Oh, yeah: my department is going to move to the main building (we're currently in a side building) next week. Moving is annoying, but I think being over there will be better.

4. The new MagKnits is out! All the patterns are nifty, but I especially like Calla (although I'm not sure I could pull it off), Lucky K8, and Slinky Socks.

Oh, I give up. I know there were others but apparently I am braindead this afternoon. Never mind.

Things About Which I Am Happy

It's Monday, so it's time for Participation Positives!

1. Spring! It's finally feeling like spring out. It's going to be in the fifties all week, perhaps even getting up to the sixties on Thursday and Friday. I do know that we are pretty likely to get another snow before it's all over, but I'm enjoying it for now.

2. Comments! Wow, lots of you commented on the socks yesterday. Thanks! Just to clarify, I never thought that that socks themselves were ugly, but the first picture I posted of them was all dark and made them look oddly shaped. I think the pictures yesterday show them off to much better advantage.

3. Branching Out! It's done. I even just about memorized the pattern by, oh, the last two or three repeats. Yeah. It's nice, though. It's currently deciding where it wants to hang out while blocking, and then we'll have a picture for you.

4. Clapotis! It's started. The yarn is behaving a bit better than it was while winding, thank goodness, although it is a bit splitty. But OH so soft. It is also looking less pink than I expected, but not necessarily in a bad way. Pictures soon. I'm on repeat increase 2 or 3 or 4 or something. I'm just looking forward to getting to the straight rows so I can see what it looks like when the stitches start dropping.

5. Dr. Who! Are you all watching this? It's wonderful. I can't recommend it highly enough. Hilarious and snarky and British. And boy, is the doctor cute. Too bad he won't be there next season.

6. Taxes! Well, not taxes themselves. But I finally did my taxes this weekend and it was extremely painless, and I'm getting lots back. Wheee. And yes, I'm already negotiating with myself about how much I get to spend on yarn.

Positive. Really.

Today is, well, a Monday, but I'm trying to hang on to my good mood from yesterday. So, time for Participation Positives! A few little things that are helping my mood today:

1. The pretty red boots I just ordered
2. Naps
3. My new lamp and new yarn (see previous entry)
4. Diet Dr. Pepper
5. Podcasts! How did I not try them before now? Knitting podcasts are I think the next best thing to actually being able to knit at work. I'll review a few of my favorites soon.
6. Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe

Monday Positivity

A few years ago, I used to do something called Participation Positives, and I guess I sort of forgot about it after a while. But I thought of it recently, and hey, it's still going! I'm going to start doing it again, because it's a nice Monday thing. And I'm still in that good mood. So, today's positives:

Walking in the cool (rather than cold) springlike (!) rain
New friends and old friends
A satisfying, full weekend
Knitting, especially the lovely Salina
Going out for both Mexican and Indian food in one weekend
Yummy leftovers
A good start to the F1 season yesterday
Anticipation of spring

Service Interruption

So last night I was going to write about how I'm just so happy this week, but then more of the sorts of things that are making me happy happened and I didn't have time. After I went to TGFKASNB and hung out with Lynne and blogless Jennifer, I came home and got to know two of my roommate's college friends who are up for the weekend. There was a little knitting and a lot of wine and conversation and I had a lovely evening, but then I was tired and you don't want me blogging after more than one glass of wine anyway. And now I'm headed off to work, and then dinner with them all and a movie with his friends while the roommate is at work, so basically the point of this whole thing is "Sorry, but don't expect a real post before Sunday." By which point I hope to have actual visible progress on the lovely Salina for you to see. Enjoy your Saturday!

Don't worry, I'll be panicking soon.

I feel like I'm crawling out from under a rock. I've been MIA for a few days. First, I survived three days with my family with no Internet access (a temporary problem in their neighborhood) or cell phone service (a permanent one). And no knitting, due mostly to a large dog who likes yarn. A lot. Sooo... aaah. Aren't you proud of me for not yelling at anyone or even crying? I know I am.

And then yesterday I got back home and had to finish my final project for my class this semester. It. Is. Done. I mean, I'm not totally satisfied, of course, but it is done enough and I have e-mailed it to my professor so I'm not allowed to think about it anymore. Right? I finished it this morning while making Death by Chocolate for a coworker's birthday. It was sort of a nice combination. I'll have to remember the "assemble elaborate dessert while typing madly" trick for next time.

So... it's done. I have no homework. I barely know what to do with myself. Other than go to work in a few minutes. (I took a half vacation day for the aforementioned baking/typing festival.) And clean my house. And, you know, think about the Christmas knitting I've been ignoring. I need to reread the "It" chapter of Yarn Harlot. But... later. When I get home from work. I'm going to try to focus on the "relief" for a few hours before "panicpanicpanic12daysleftPANICalready" sets in.

Indisputable Evidence

I've been making a good show of the "oh, there's plenty of time until Christmas" thing. But I can't do it anymore. Because look what has taken up residence in my living room?

Isn't it pretty?

Oh. What's that on the top, you ask? Well. I had no tree topper, and it was looking a little bare. Plus, it's COLD in my apartment. So what do you do when you have someone bareheaded and cold in your house? Think about it for a minute.

Yeah. I thought so. You knit it a hat. It's really only logical.

Welcome to the fold...

Let's have a round of applause! The roommate has finished his first knitting project:

Adorable, no? I have concluded that my bear needs a scarf too.

(By the way, Aloysius is the name of the roommate's bear, not the roommate himself. And my bear, nee Snowflake, has become Watson. It seems to fit him better.)

So really, I think someone should sell learn to knit kits that include this bear. (With, perhaps, a storybook involving the bear himself knitting? Oh, the possibilities for cuteness are overwhelming...) Because the roommate had been working on a scarf for himself (that will, by the way, match the bear's scarf) on and off for a month now with interest but no particular enthusiasm. And then he got Aloysius and needed to knit him a scarf RIGHT NOW. And he's already talking about his next project. I'm telling you, it's a surefire method.

Just to keep me humble

So many of you have commented on the loveliness of the pictures my roommate took of the cider/yarn incident last weekend. Well, we have now determined that he can also take better pictures of his own hand than I can take of him. Yeah. It's great for my self-esteem, really it is.

Anyway, here are the mittlets I made him in my ongoing effort to avoid turning on the heat in our apartment:

You can see the nifty thumb shaping in that one. The pattern is the one from the Elegant Ewe. There are lots of variations, and it's quite fun. A few more:

Yeah, we thought that one looked a bit odd, but I figured I'd post it anyway.

And, just because it's totally adorable:

The roommate with his new best friend. And, yes, wearing his mittlets. I introduced them and it was love at first sight. Of course, I wasn't willing to give up my adorable bear, so we now have two of these bears in the house¹. Mine is named Snowflake, which is the name he came with; the roommate's is Aloysius. He is currently knitting Aloysius a scarf, because Aloysius is cold. Really, you have not seen cuteness until you have seen a grown man knitting a scarf for his teddy bear.

___
¹ You, too, can have a Snowflake bear of your very own: he's from Borders/Borders Express, $7.99 with a $30 purchase. And his is THE VERY BEST SOFTEST bear I have ever met. I love these bears. You need one. Really.

Warning: Harder than it looks.

The warning label on the bottle of cider my roommate and I split last night:

In case you can't read it, it warns against "operating machinery" in conjunction with this product.

Now, would you think that "umbrella swift" would count as "machinery" in this context? It does! Who knew?

Yeah. I was rather impressed with myself, really. "Winding yarn" has been added to the list of things I'm not allowed to do when there's been any alcohol involved in the evening. My roommate, of his own volition, took the pictures for the blog before he sent me to bed. He clearly understands the priorities around here. A few more, because they're actually kind of pretty:

I especially like that last one. (As always, click to make big.) He has potential as a wool porn photographer, don't you think?

For the record, I really didn't drink that much. It was a 750ml bottle (7.5% alcohol; less than wine has) split between two people - the cork wouldn't go back in, so obviously we had to finish it. It's just that my body isn't exactly used to, well, any alcohol at all. My roommate, for whom the cider was "like soda," was rather amused by my reaction. (I was pretty dizzy.)

The culprit, if you're curious:

You can learn about it here. It was very good - the alcoholic beverage I have liked the best, by far, of the half dozen or so that I've tried. It looks like it's only available locally, but I highly recommend it to you NH/MA/ME people. Just not when you have urgent ball-winding to do.

On your mark, get set...

It's almost time for NaNoWriMo! Five minutes! Good luck to any of you who are writing. I'm planning to write a sentence or two at midnight, go take a shower, and then write for a little while longer if I feel like it. We'll see how it goes...

I lost.

So remember the baby blanket I've been working on? The endless one? A while ago (last week maybe?) the intended recipient suggested that we race to see who could accomplish her objective first: me to finish the blanket, her to have the baby. Well, I lost. A gorgeous baby girl came into the world last night. Congratulations to her parents and brothers and whole family!

So, well, this means I have to hurry up already with the blanket. It's about 75% done. I think. I'm fighting the urge to just call it "done enough" at the end of the next repeat and do the border and cast off and send it along. But I think it will be better if I keep going. Right?

At this point, I am very much looking forward to finishing the blanket because I have so many other things I want to be working on. I have realized that, honestly, one of the things causing stress in my life is my number of WIPs and the size of my stash. I feel like my knitting, along with everything else, is out of control. I also feel guilty whenever I buy yarn because I have so much. So... yeah. I'm not proposing a yarn diet or anything crazy like that, but I think that once Christmas knitting is under control, I will start focusing on finishing up some old stuff. Anyone want to join me?

I know I'm the last person on earth to realize this...

But oh my GOODNESS is The Sims addictive. I got it for Christmas but didn't play until today. And I ended up playing practically all day. (I also made bread and soup for the week and knit a bunch, so it wasn't a total waste.) My current people are named Matt and Jenny Dover. They have the same last name, but they aren't actually married yet. We're working on that. They talk a lot and they've reached the "friendly hug" level. This also means that they take turns sleeping on the couch, since they don't like each other enough to share the bed yet. But they'll get there. I'm determined. I want them to have a little Sim baby. The baby/kid part sounds fun. I also need to get the Unleashed expansion so they can have pets. Because, you know, if I can't make little Sim kittens, what's the point?